More dolphins, fish wash up dead

The South Australian Government insists it in not downplaying a statewide marine crisis after the discovery of thousands more dead fish and another three dolphin carcasses.

Almost a fortnight ago, authorities believed the worst was behind us, but many beachgoers are growing increasingly skeptical.

Thousands of dead fish have washed up on South Australian beaches in recent weeks, along with dolphins and some penguins.

Most recently, a young dolphin carcass was discovered by a surf school at Southport this morning, while a dead dolphin calf was spotted in the Port River yesterday, being pushed along by its grieving mother.

Marine biology PhD student Nikki Zanardo told 7News: “We need to work out what it is, at this stage we are still unsure.”

Theories range from water temperature to algal blooms and even dodge tides, but locals are not convinced.

Samples from some of the dead dolphins have been sent to New Zealand for testing.

BioSecurity SA won’t say why they weren’t all carried out locally.

“Well they’re looking for biological toxins, bio-toxins as they call them,” Vic Neveraskus from Biosecurity SA said.

He has reassured seafood customers not to be alarmed.
“I’m not at all nervous,” he said.

But with autopsy results on the dolphins still weeks away and more marine life dying, authorities are scratching their heads for clues in the ongoing marine mystery.

“Dolphins, they’re not much smaller than us and they’re washing up dead on our shores, so yeah, it’s horrible to think what it’s doing to our health,” surfer Rebecca Wissell said.